A group of women whose partners are in prison have gone viral on TikTok for their videos documenting their lives while their partners are behind bars.

These ‘prison wives’ have created their own online community and attracted millions of views on their TikToks, although some users have accused them of “glamorising” their lifestyle and criminality, and making it into an “aesthetic”.

@saffronmariexx

I cant not believe that episode 2 and we are already looking at court. You know I need a cute court room fit! This trip was unsuccessful but I will be going back to do another trip soon. #court #courtroom #courtroomdrama #fyp #foryoupage

♬ original sound – Saf✨

City London News has spoken to several of the content creators in this community about what motivated them to start posting videos, and their response to critical comments.

‘When my partner went to jail, I didn’t know where else to turn’

Saffron Marie, known as @saffronmariexx on TikTok, is one of the most popular ‘Prison Wives’ content creators, with over 100,000 followers.

She told City London News:

I first started TikTok when my partner went away to jail, I didn’t know where else to turn.

I uploaded one video and overnight it had 3 million views…it brought so much hate and so much negativity but within that so much love and support, support I didn’t have in the real outside world.

For me, posting now is a way to connect with [similar women] in my situation. A community if you will.

‘I didn’t go looking for a man in jail’

London City News also spoke to another content creator in the TikTok community, who wished to remain anonymous to protect her safety.

She says her boyfriend is serving two-thirds of a 30 year-sentence for gang-affiliated crimes.

My life could be at risk if I enter his city just due to gang affiliations. It’s not nice, it’s horrible, lonely.

Some girls who met their man whilst they were in jail like me, didn’t go looking for a man in jail.

We haven’t had any sexual intimacy, we’re conversations through the phone, letters, emails & visits.

Despite her not sharing her location, real name or whereabouts on TikTok, she regularly posts “a day in the life of me visiting my boyfriend in HMP”.

She revealed how posting on TikTok has changed her life:

There is a massive sense of sisterhood and I love supporting females.

It’s so important because I feel as if I’m not the only one, especially when I meet girls whose man has similar long sentences same as mine.

I’ve made life long friends through this journey.

The contrast between receiving phone calls, letters and emails is in stark in comparison to another woman who shares her struggles over dealing with a husband who is inside:

He cuts us off when its gets hard for him so we don’t hear from him at all now, no letters or calls, no visits.

Creators face ethical and moral questions over content

 

A collage of comments on a ‘Prison Wives’ TikTok video

Having a support system is a lifeline for many of these women, who struggle with the fear that their partners may cut them off.

However, many of the viewers have been questioning the seriousness of their partners’ crimes and asking if they are making money off the back of their partners’ potentially serious crimes, where people could have been harmed.

On many of the creators’ comment sections, there is a link to a petition to Parliament, calling MPs to “reinstate the early release of prisoners who are serving sentences for certain serious crimes, halfway through their sentence”.

This has created an online backlash, with many users stating that the petition is unethical.

“My man got charged 10 years for violence, is there any chance to serve half instead of 2/3rd?”,  was one comments on the post – provoking responses that it “depends on the seriousness of the crime”.

Why are people so fascinated by this content?

Within the conflicting discourse around these creators’ content, there does appear to be a fascination with their videos.

City London News spoke to Steven Buckley, an academic in digital media and sociology.

He shed light on why people were so obsessed with this type of content:

TikTok allows for a greater degree of intimacy between the content creator and the consumer of that content.

[These women] get huge amounts of engagement, and people are fascinated with that type of relationship dynamic that the majority of people don’t have this direct experience with.

These type of content creators, their content is actual reality, they are actual real people, having these actual real experiences.

Despite the popularity of these reality-style TikToks, there are significant ethical dilemmas where real victims are potentially involved.

But with creators going to great lengths not to reveal the details of their partners or their crimes, questions will continue to be asked about the dangers of glamorising such a lifestyle.